When people hear Meg on Family Guy, they will instantly think of Mila Kunis, but she reportedly only got the part due to contract disputes. During season one, Lacey Chabert originally did the voice for the family's black sheep, and that was originally who was planned for the whole series.
It turns out that there was not a contract for the rest of the show. The Party of Five actress decided that she wanted to leave the show after the first year, and the show runners were left looking for a new voiceover actress for the part. Kunis became the main focus, and has remained on the show since season two.
There are rumors as to why Chabert left in the first place. Due to a season eight episode, one of the rumors was that she was fired or that there were disagreements on the set. However, the Mean Girls actress does not say that happened. She explained in an interview with GameSpy that she left out of choice. She was still in school at the time and was also filming Party of Five. Leaving Family Guy was the best choice for her.
Seth MacFarlane agrees that while there was a problem with the contract, the actress did not leave on bad terms. It was a simple contract dispute that led to Kunis doing the voice of Family Guy's Meg. The show runner does not even remember what that dispute was in full, but admits that the That 70's Show actress is more suitable for the role.
There is no tension between Charbet and the rest of the cast, especially the actress who took her place. It appears that it really was just a simple misunderstanding at the start of the show. Had the contract had a set amount of time longer than the first season, it is likely that the show runners would have been looking for a replacement eventually anyway. Maybe after the first season was the right time to start. The audience did not grow to love the person doing the voice; and it was a major change.
Kunis' career is now on the up. While Family Guy could be partially the reason for that, it is also possible that she has simply found the perfect roles for her in Hollywood. Her role in Ted was definitely likely due to her connection with Family Guy since both were directed by MacFarlane.
The actress has also reportedly given birth to her daughter, albeit a few days overdue. This is the first child for her and fiancé Aston Kutcher, but there is not yet an announcement of the name for the little girl. The two are extremely private people when it comes to their life together, and they refrained from announcing the pregnancy until months into it. It is possible they will keep the name of their child a secret for some time, while they enjoy being first-time parents. The voice of Meg will still be waiting for Kunis when she comes back, and it seems she only got the Family Guy part because of a dispute in Charbert's contract.
Opinion by Alexandria Ingham
Sources:
Huffington Post Shalom Life Photo credit: CC-2.0 Gage Skidmore